IRAQ

CJCS Sees More US Troop Cuts in Iraq - Al Pessin, Voice of America

The top US military officer says if current trends continue he expects to recommend further US troop reductions in Iraq. Admiral Mike Mullen says he found more progress on security than he had expected when he visited Iraq last week. And while he would not provide details, he said he could recommend further US troop reductions when the next round of military recommendations go to President Bush in September. "I will not go so far as to say that progress in Iraq from a military perspective has reached a tipping point, or it is irreversible," said Admiral Mullen. "It has not and it is not. But security is unquestionably and remarkably better. Indeed, if these trends continue, I expect to be able, early in the fall, to be able to recommend to the secretary and the president further troop reductions."

Iraq's Security 'Remarkably Better' - Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times

The nation's top military officer Wednesday declared the security situation in Iraq "remarkably better," so good in fact that he expects to recommend more US troop reductions this fall if conditions hold. Just back from a tour of two war fronts - Iraq and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region - Adm. Michael G. Mullen said he expected to witness improvements in Baghdad and across Iraq, but was surprised by how well a 17-month-old US troop surge has worked. "I won't go so far as to say that progress in Iraq, from a military perspective, has reached a tipping point or it is irreversible," Adm. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, said at a press conference with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "But security is unquestionably and remarkably better."

MNF-I Transfers 10th Province to Iraqi Control - Suzanne Presto, Voice of America

The US-led Multinational Force turned over security responsibility for Qadisiyah province, also known as Diwaniyah, to Iraq on Wednesday. With that transfer, Iraq now has control over 10 of its 18 provinces. Iraq's national security advisor says he hopes the government will regain control of the other provinces by year's end. In a nationally televised ceremony on Wednesday, Iraq assumed responsibility for Qadisiyah province. That transfer tipped the scales, and now more than half of Iraq's provinces are back under government control. Iraq's National Security Advisor Muaffak al-Rubaie spoke at the handover ceremony in Qadisiyah's provincial capital, Diwaniyah. He told the gathered crowd that he hoped Iraq would assume control of its remaining eight provinces by the end of this year.

Full-Control Wanted by Year's End - Fakhrildeen and Zavis, Los Angeles Times

Iraq hopes to have control over security across the country by the end of the year, national security advisor Mowaffak Rubaie said Wednesday, as US-led forces handed over responsibility for the southern province of Qadisiya to local authorities. Rubaie's comments reflect the Iraqi government's growing confidence in its security forces since they carried out a string of operations this year to assert authority over parts of the country that had been in the hands of Sunni Arab and Shiite Muslim militants.

Bombings Kill 22 in Iraq's North - Zaid Sabah, Washington Post

A car packed with explosives detonated in a crowded market in the northern city of Tall Afar on Wednesday, killing 20 people, including nine children, and wounding 82 others, police and hospital officials said. Two car bombs also exploded in the northeastern city of Mosul, killing two people and wounding 15. The attacks underscored Iraq's fragility, even as US forces on Wednesday handed over control of the southern province of Qadisiyah to Iraqi security forces amid growing confidence in the Iraqi government's ability to secure restive areas. It was the 10th of Iraq's 18 provinces to be placed under government control, most of them in Shiite and Kurdish regions.

Affection for Obama, but His Proposal? - Tavernese and Oppel, New York Times

A tough Iraqi general, a former special operations officer with a baritone voice and a barrel chest, melted into smiles when asked about Senator Barack Obama. “Everyone in Iraq likes him,” said the general, Nassir al-Hiti. “I like him. He’s young. Very active. We would be very happy if he was elected president.” But mention Mr. Obama’s plan for withdrawing American soldiers, and the general stiffens. “Very difficult,” he said, shaking his head. “Any army would love to work without any help, but let me be honest: for now, we don’t have that ability.” Thus in a few brisk sentences, the general summed up the conflicting emotions about Mr. Obama in Iraq, the place outside America with perhaps the most riding on its relationship with him.

Holiday Makers - Welcome to Iraq - Deborah Haynes, The Times

It has some of the finest archaeological sites in the world and some of the holiest places in Islam - but persuading tourists to visit Iraq has to be one of the toughest jobs around. Hamood Massam al-Yakoubi, the head of the Iraqi Tourism Board, is confident that as the violence begins to recede, the brave and curious may be enticed to the country. “I would like tourists from around the world to visit because there is a lot to see,” he says. On that score, he is certainly right. Gathering dust in the entrance hall of a Baghdad hotel a guidebook from the 1980s displays pictures of Iraq's attractions, among them the golden dome of the al-Askari shrine, one of the holiest buildings of Shia Islam. Of Samarra, where the shrine is, the book says: “The artistic, literary, and scientific splendours of the city have remained a legend in Arab history.” As about 200 tourism operators, hoteliers and officials convened this week to discuss the once-booming industry, the recent drop in violence was emboldening them to encourage foreigners to return and restore the heyday of Iraqi tourism.

Talking Sense on Iraq - New York Times editorial

It has been obvious from the start of the 2008 campaign that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the biggest foreign policy challenges awaiting the next president. But there has been precious little detailed discussion of them on the campaign trail. Until this week, when Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, offered a sensible and comprehensive blueprint for dealing with the mess that President Bush created by bungling the war of necessity against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, which could have made Americans safer, and starting a war of choice in Iraq, which made the world more insecure. Mr. Obama’s Republican rival, Senator John McCain, is no longer able to ignore the situation on the Afghan-Pakistan border, where Al Qaeda and the Taliban - the true threats to American security - are resurgent. But he has not matched Mr. Obama’s seriousness on Iraq. Mr. McCain is still tied in knots, largely adopting Mr. Bush’s blind defense of an unending conflict.

The Fading Debate over an Iraq Pullout - Christian Science Monitor editorial

Americans are split down the middle on the presidential candidates' withdrawal plans for US troops in Iraq, and the two men are ardently pointing out their differences. By the November election, though, this debate may be largely diminished, if not moot. A Washington Post-ABC News poll this week showed half of Americans favor Mr. Obama's plan to withdraw the bulk of US troops over 16 months. The other half sides with Mr. McCain's view that events in Iraq - not a timetable - should determine the drawdown. But recent trends on the ground could cause the candidates' goals to generally converge, especially now that the Pentagon says Iraqi police and the Army will be fully operational by mid-2009.

Is the Iraq War Over? - Michael Totten, Commentary opinion

Independent reporter Michael Yon has spent more time in Iraq embedded with combat soldiers than any other journalist in the world, and a few days ago he boldly declared the war over. I’m reluctant to say “the war has ended,” as he did, but everything else he wrote is undoubtedly true. The war in Iraq is all but over right now, and it will be officially over if the current trends in violence continue their downward slide. That is a mathematical fact. If you doubt it, look at the data.

Who Obama Should See in Iraq - Dan Senor, Wall Street Journal opinion

Barack Obama is headed to Baghdad, probably within days. It's a shame he chose to pre-empt the visit with a big speech and an op-ed on the subject. He just might learn a thing or two while he's there. I helped plan these congressional delegations (or CODELS) to Iraq for over 250 congressmen and senators when I worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority. I know that congressmen find them illuminating despite the obvious limitations imposed by time and security concerns. Here are some individuals and groups Mr. Obama should make it a priority to see.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

US Calls on Pakistan to Control Afghan Border - Al Pessin, Voice of America

The top two US defense officials called on Pakistan Wednesday to improve security along its border with Afghanistan, in order to stop the flow of insurgents. The Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, says he told Pakistani leaders during a visit to Islamabad last week that the porous border is a key factor in the increase of insurgent attacks in Afghanistan, and that Pakistan must take steps to improve the situation. "The border there is a really critical issue that we're going to have to solve," said Admiral Mullen. "Certainly that's a message that I delivered to each of the leaders that I visited in Pakistan. And it has to be solved sooner rather than later. The bottom line is this, we're seeing a greater number of insurgents and foreign fighters flowing across the border with Pakistan unmolested and unhindered. This movement needs to stop." Admiral Mullen said insurgents use safe havens in Pakistan to train for what he called "bolder, more sophisticated" operations, like the attack on a US-Afghan outpost last weekend that killed nine US troops. But he denied Pakistani news reports that he gave an ultimatum to Pakistani leaders during his meetings last week that if Pakistan did not take action along the border the United States would. Speaking with the admiral at a news conference Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates denied reports of a US buildup on the Afghan side of the border in preparation for an incursion. But he declined to rule out US action in the future.

US Troops Withdraw From Afghan Outpost - Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post

After suffering significant setbacks in the fight against insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, US and Afghan troops have pulled out of a combat outpost where nine American soldiers were killed in a pitched battle with Taliban fighters Sunday. US and Afghan soldiers withdrew from the makeshift outpost near the remote village of Wanat as Taliban fighters swarmed the area near the border of the eastern provinces of Nuristan and Kunar, NATO and Afghan officials said Wednesday. An unspecified number of NATO and Afghan troops remain in the region near the edge of Pakistan's western border, said Capt. Mike Finney, a spokesman for NATO's mission in Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF.

US Abandons Site of Afghan Attack - Carlotta Gall, New York Times

American forces have abandoned the outpost in northeastern Afghanistan where nine American soldiers were killed Sunday in a heavy attack by insurgents, NATO officials said Wednesday. The withdrawal handed a propaganda victory to the Taliban, and insurgents were quick to move into the village of Wanat beside the abandoned outpost, Afghan officials said. Insurgents nearly overran the barely built outpost in a dawn raid on Sunday, the most deadly assault for United States forces in Afghanistan since 2005. Those forces have fought some of their most difficult battles in Kunar and Nuristan Provinces, with their thickly forested mountainsides and steep ravines. Guerrillas mount ambushes and rocket attacks from the mountains and then easily escape.

Afghan, NATO Force Hits Targets Inside Pakistan - Reuters

NATO forces in Afghanistan hit targets inside Pakistan with artillery and attack helicopters after coming under rocket fire from across the border, the alliance said on Wednesday. Tension is high along the border with a sharp rise in attacks in eastern Afghanistan coming from inside Pakistan that Afghan and NATO officials blame on de-facto ceasefires between the Pakistani military and militants in its lawless tribal belt. Troops from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) "received multiple rocket attacks from militants inside Pakistan, July 15," the alliance said in a statement. "The troops identified a (compound) as the point of origin of the attacks and responded in self-defence with a combination of fire from attack helicopters and artillery into Pakistan."

Coalition Troops Mass at Border - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

NATO said last night it had abandoned an Afghan outpost only two days after it was stormed by militants who killed nine US soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. News of the pull-out from the position in Wanat village in northeastern Kunar province came as hundreds of US and coalition troops massed along the nearby border with Pakistan yesterday, amid reports of an imminent attack against al-Qa'ida and Taliban bases in the area. Afghan officials said the US troops withdrew from the Wanat outpost on Tuesday, two days after Taliban militants breached the position in one of the deadliest attack involving international forces since 2001. NATO spokesman Mark Laity said the International Security Assistance Force would maintain patrols in the area, which Afghan officials said was now under the control of the Taliban.

Taliban Raid Could Mark New Stage - Geoff Elliott, The Australian

The dawn raid by about 200 militants on a US base in eastern Afghanistan at the weekend could be the harbinger of a dangerous new phase in the war there, according to Joel Fitzgibbon. The Defence Minister told The Australian the attack, in which nine US soldiers were killed, reinforced the message that Afghanistan "remains a dangerous place and our work there is far from complete in a military sense". He added he was also a "bit curious about that attack" and he was going to discuss it with Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Robert Gates in meetings he was due to hold overnight. Mr Fitzgibbon said he was worried it could have been a cross-border attack by al-Qa'ida insurgents out of Pakistan.

US Prepares to Boost Forces - Spiegel and Faiez, Los Angeles Times

Senior US military officials are developing plans to speed the deployment of thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan, including possibly pulling the next brigade scheduled to go to Iraq this fall and sending it to Afghanistan instead. President Bush has already committed to beefing up the US presence in Afghanistan next year. But Defense Department officials said the recent efforts of military planners would accelerate the process and could allow the new brigade of 3,500 soldiers to deploy there before the end of this year.

US Looks to Send More Troops to Afghanistan Soon - Reuters

The United States is looking to send more troops to Afghanistan soon in the face of rising insurgent violence there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday. "We are clearly working very hard to see if there are opportunities to send additional forces sooner rather than later," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. Gates said no decisions or recommendations had been made so far. Commanders of NATO and US forces in Afghanistan were also examining how they might move troops around to bolster the fight against Taliban militants and other insurgents, he said.

Afghan Officials Say Airstrikes Kill 10 Militants - Associated Press

Afghan and NATO-led troops called in airstrikes against militants in western Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 10 insurgents and wounding four civilians, Afghan officials said. ''Tens of enemy'' were killed during the operation in Shindand district of Herat province during the joint operation, said Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a defense ministry spokesman. The head of Herat's provincial council, Humayun Azizi, said 10 to 12 militants were killed and that there were also reports of civilian casualties from the airstrikes.

Afghanistan Quandary - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times opinion

It was an ultimatum of sorts by a US senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to Pakistan's new civilian government. Either Pakistan's new civilian government gets serious about flushing out al Qaeda and Taliban fighters from their safe havens in Pakistan's tribal border areas - or aid to Pakistan's military will have to be reassessed. Pakistan cannot reduce - let alone end - Taliban's cross-border raids into Afghanistan without sending its regular army back into action. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, say Pakistan's military commanders, and the T-shirt reads: "Don't come back and stop taking American orders."

IRAN

New Iran NIE - Bill Gertz, Washington Times

The US intelligence community in May completed a major National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran that concluded the Iranian military is building up its missile and conventional forces but that its forces remain relatively outdated, according to US officials. The classified assessment, circulated to senior policy-makers, comes amid rising tensions in the region over Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment and concerns that Israel or the United States will take military action to knock out Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran and US Signaling Chance of Deal - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post

President Bush's decision to shift policy and send a senior US envoy to nuclear talks with Iran this weekend was made after increasing signs that Iran was open to possible negotiations and that international sanctions were having an impact on the Islamic republic, US officials said yesterday. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushed for the move in a meeting on Monday of Bush's top aides, and Bush's support suggests he increasingly is determined to put aside a possible military strike in an effort to reach a deal to end Iran's nuclear program in his final six months in office. In recent weeks, the White House already has approved a sweetened package of incentives to Iran that included a pledge to refrain from the use of force, supported a European gambit to begin preliminary talks with Iran and sent clear signals to Israel not to consider acting against Iran on its own.

Policy Shift Seen in US Decision - Sciolino and Meyers, New York Times

The decision by the Bush administration to send a senior American official to participate in international talks with Iran this weekend reflects a double policy shift in the struggle to resolve the impasse over the country’s nuclear program. First, the Bush administration has decided to abandon its longstanding position that it will only meet face-to-face with Iran after it first suspends uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council. Second, it infuses the negotiating track between Iran on the one side and the six global powers - France, Britain, Germany, Russia, China and the United States - on the other with new importance, even though their official stance is that no substantive talks can begin until the uranium enrichment stops.

Report: US to Establish Presence in Tehran - Reuters

The United States will announce in the next month that it plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years, a British newspaper said on Thursday. In a front-page report, the Guardian said Washington would open a US interests section in the Iranian capital, halfway towards opening an embassy. The unsourced report by the newspaper's Washington correspondent said: "The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a US interests section in Tehran, a halfway house to setting up a full embassy.

Iran Sets out Position Ahead of Nuclear Talks - Reuters

Iran signaled on Wednesday it did not plan to make major concessions on its nuclear program at talks this week to be attended by world powers including the United States. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran was ready to negotiate but showed no sign of backing down on the issue at the centre of the dispute -- Iran's refusal to halt atomic activities. The United States will send a senior envoy, Under Secretary of State William Burns, to Geneva to discuss Tehran's response to an offer of incentives in exchange for suspending uranium enrichment, which the West believes is aimed at making nuclear bombs.

US Says Stance on Iran Same, Not Negotiation - Reuters

The White House on Wednesday said its stance toward Iran was the same, despite sending a State Department official to attend talks, and if Tehran does not accept an incentives package there would be more sanctions. "Nothing has changed," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "If they don't accept this offer, one, there will not be negotiations and two, there will be additional sanctions."

THE LONG WAR

Suspect's Work With Bin Laden Alleged - Jerry Markon, Washington Post

In the days before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Salim Ahmed Hamdan drove Osama bin Laden around Afghanistan, staying with him at secret guesthouses and the "Star of Jihad" training camp in anticipation of a retaliatory US attack, an FBI agent testified Wednesday. Special Agent George M. Crouch Jr. told a military judge that Hamdan described the frantic getaway to him during interrogations at the US military prison here in 2002. He quoted Hamdan as saying he knew of bin Laden's involvement in the strikes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and that he helped the al-Qaeda leader escape after the bombings of two US embassies in East Africa in 1998.

Who's On the Watch List - Leonard Boyle, Washington Post opinion

The federal government's consolidated terrorist watch list has become a central issue in the debate about how we can best secure our homeland. Unfortunately, myths about the watch list continue to grow in just about every report and retelling. How many times have you heard: There are a million terrorists on the consolidated watch list! Thousands of Americans get detained and inconvenienced daily because of watch-list errors! There aren't. They don't.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Guard’s First Four-Star General - Jim Garamone, AFPS

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has recommended the Air National Guard’s director for a promotion that would make him the first four-star general in National Guard history. Pending nomination by President Bush and confirmation by the Senate, Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley would become the chief of the National Guard Bureau. McKinley would succeed Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum. Gates has recommended that the president nominate Blum to be deputy commander of US Northern Command.

Guard's Status Rising With Leader's Rank - Josh White, Washington Post

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday made the first nomination for a four-star general to lead the National Guard, a move that should give the reserve force a significant boost in influence inside the Pentagon during an era when the Guard has played a critical role in the nation's wars abroad. Gates said he has recommended Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, the director of the Air National Guard, to take over as chief of the National Guard Bureau and to receive a fourth star. The position has traditionally been filled by a three-star general, but legislation passed earlier this year required elevating the job to a full general's billet.

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE / INTERAGENCY

Rice Hails Corps to Rebuild Nations - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice inaugurated the US government's first-ever civilian nation-building team Wednesday in a bid to learn from missteps in Iraq and Afghanistan reconstruction efforts. The "active" component, called the Civilian Response Corps, is a team of 250 federal employees from several agencies - diplomats, development specialists, public health officials, law enforcement and corrections officers, engineers, economists, lawyers, public administrators, agronomists and others. Their primary responsibility is to deploy to crisis spots around the world within 48 to 72 hours.

US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

Housecleaning Time for CIA - Melvin Goodman, Baltimore Sun opinion

US presidents have been reluctant to reform the Central Intelligence Agency. Often, their first decision, naming a CIA director, guarantees there will be no meaningful change. Presidents from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush named CIA directors who either were unfit for the job or politicized intelligence - or both. Three decades of mediocre appointments have created huge bureaucratic woes at the CIA that will be difficult to fix. The next president needs to address three major problems that have weakened the intelligence community: militarization of intelligence; absence of oversight; and illegal activity by the CIA's National Clandestine Service. It is unconscionable that a senior CIA lawyer, Jonathan Fredman, could tell military and intelligence officials that torture is "basically subject to perception" and that "if the detainee dies, you're doing it wrong."

AFRICA

US Signs Trade Pacts with African Countries - Reuters

The United States signed a pair of agreements on Wednesday to boost trade and investment ties with countries in southern and eastern Africa, the US Trade Representative's office said. The United States launched negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) -- Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland -- in 2003. When talks were suspended in 2006 because of differences over how much to lower trade barriers and other provisions of the proposed agreement, the two sides agreed to pursue a new type of pact, USTR said. The result was the Trade, Investment and Development Cooperation Agreement signed on Wednesday.

Peacekeeper Shot and Killed in Darfur - Reuters

A UN-African Union peacekeeper was shot and killed in Sudan's western Darfur region, a week after militiamen killed seven peacekeepers, a UN spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The peacekeeper for the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was killed while on patrol in West Darfur, UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe told reporters in New York. The incident took place shortly before 5 p.m. local time and the peacekeeper was Nigerian.

Prosecuting Genocide - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times opinion

Many aid workers and diplomats suffered a panic attack when the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant this week for the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for committing genocide. They feared that Mr. Bashir would retaliate by attacking peacekeepers and humanitarian workers. But instead of wringing our hands, we should be applauding. The prosecution for genocide is a historic step that also creates an opportunity in Sudan, particularly if China can now be induced and shamed into suspending the transfer of weapons used to slaughter civilians in Darfur. If China continues - it is the main supplier of arms used in the genocide - then it may itself be in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Article III of the convention declares that one of the punishable crimes is “complicity in genocide”; that’s the crime that China may be committing if it goes on supplying arms used for genocide, even after the ICC has begun criminal proceedings against the purchaser of those weapons.

AMERICAS

Court Orders US to Halt Executions - Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post

A UN court ruled Wednesday that the United States should halt the executions of five Mexican nationals -- including a convicted killer sentenced to die in three weeks -- until their cases can be reviewed. The ruling by the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, is not binding. Nonetheless, Mexican officials and attorneys for the condemned men said they hoped it would influence US authorities overseeing the five cases in Texas, as well as the 46 other cases of Mexican nationals on death row across the United States.

Colombian Soldier Wore Red Cross Logo - Associated Press

A member of the military mission that tricked Colombian rebels into freeing 15 hostages wore the insignia of the International Red Cross during the operation, President Álvaro Uribe said Wednesday. His government apologized to the Red Cross for the incident, which Mr. Uribe called an error by a nervous soldier. A spokesman for the International Red Cross, Florian Westphal, said in Geneva that the relief organization accepted Mr. Uribe’s explanation of how its symbol was misused.

Chavez's Mission Unaccomplished - Alvaro Vargas Llosa, RCP opinion

For years, supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have touted his social programs known as "missions" as a model of social justice. But this narrative is a myth, according to a comprehensive study by the Latin American Institute of Social Research. The authors, Yolanda D'Elia and Luis Francisco Cabezas, are not ideological adversaries of Chavez's government. They don't even question the need for government-funded social programs. They simply trace the history of the missions and measure the results against the stated objectives. Their conclusion is devastating.

ASIA PACIFIC

US Eyes Humanitarian Drills with Chinese Military - Reuters

The United States hopes to conduct its first ever humanitarian disaster relief drills with the Chinese military in late 2009 or 2010, the head of the US Pacific Command said on Wednesday. Admiral Timothy Keating said he and Lt. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng, a senior commander of the People's Liberation Army, had agreed to begin "active consideration the formulation of a plan that will lead to humanitarian assistance exercises relatively soon." The US military, which has long sought to engage China's fast-growing but secretive armed forces to avoid clashes in the Pacific, had held search and rescue and signaling drills with the Chinese, but never full disaster relief exercises, Keating told an audience at the Heritage Foundation.

Limit to Dalai Lama Talks - Rowan Callick, The Australian

China's cabinet has stated it will never discuss the future of Tibet with the Dalai Lama, underscoring that the massive unrest in the region that threatened to undermine the Beijing Olympic Games produced no change in Beijing's position. On potential outcomes of talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, the new director-general of the information office of the State Council, China's cabinet, said yesterday: "The central Government will never discuss the future of Tibet with the Dalai Lama. What we can discuss with him is his future and that of some of his supporters."

EUROPE

Serbia May Reinstate Envoys - Dan Bilefsky, New York Times

Serbia’s government may reinstate ambassadors it recalled from countries that recognized an independent Kosovo, a policy shift that senior Serbian officials said Belgrade was considering to show its commitment to the West. Serbia recalled ambassadors from several countries - including France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, Italy and the United States - to protest their decision to recognize Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February. Serbia considers Kosovo its medieval heartland and has called its unilateral declaration of independence a reckless breach of international law.

Turkish Military Says Killed 11 Kurdish Militants - Reuters

Turkish soldiers have killed 11 Kurdish guerrillas in an operation in the southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari, Turkey's military said on Wednesday. The operation was launched on Sunday after security forces identified a group of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in a mountainous area near the Iraqi border, the military said on its web site. The PKK, regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. About 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Medvedev's Wider Europe - Janusz Bugajski, Washington Times opinion

Despite speculations in European Union capitals about a bright new dawn in Europe-Russia relations following the installation of President Dmitri Medvedev, dark clouds have already gathered. Europe faces an intensified challenge to its integrity, effectiveness and alliances from a Moscow buoyed by its oil wealth and fortified by claims that US leadership is on the decline. During a recent visit to Berlin, Mr. Medvedev proposed creation of a pan-European security pact that would sideline NATO and undermine US influence in Europe. Mr. Medvedev asserted that "Atlanticism as a sole historical principle has already had its day. NATO has failed to give new purpose to its existence."

MIDDLE EAST

Hezbollah Gives Coffins to Israel - Witte and Alia Ibrahim, Washington Post

Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah on Wednesday began an extraordinary exchange, with two coffins containing the bodies of abducted Israeli soldiers swapped for five Lebanese prisoners, including a convicted murderer. After receiving the coffins, Israeli officials positively identified the bodies as those of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were abducted by Hezbollah almost two years ago to the day in a dramatic cross-border raid that sparked a month-long war. Several hours later, Samir Kuntar, who was responsible for the deaths of four Israelis in 1979, crossed into Lebanon along with four fighters captured during the 2006 conflict with Lebanon.

Israel Frees Prisoners - Isabel Kershner, New York Times

Without pomp but with modest ceremony, Israel on Wednesday somberly brought home the bodies of two of its soldiers in black coffins, part of a long-awaited prisoner exchange with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. In return, at this cliff-top border crossing on the coast high above the Mediterranean, Israel handed over Samir Kuntar, who had been held nearly three decades after being convicted in a deadly and notorious attack, along with four other Lebanese prisoners and the bodies of 199 combatants and infiltrators from Lebanon. The bodies were exhumed from a cemetery in northern Israel and transferred to the border in 10 Red Cross trucks.

Lebanese Militant Swapped for Dead IDF Soldiers - Byers and Frenkel, The Times

Samir Kantar, one of Lebanon's most notorious militants, has been freed by Israel as part of a controversial prisoner swap which saw the dead bodies of two kidnapped soldiers returned to the Jewish State this morning. Kantar and four other Islamists crossed into Lebanon at around 5.30pm local time, hours after Hezbollah handed back two black coffins containing the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, both Israeli reservists. The soldiers' kidnapping at the hands of Hezbollah, in summer 2006, led to the second Lebanon War, which lasted a month and left 1,200 people dead. They will be buried on Thursday. Kantar, meanwhile, had been held in an Israeli prison for almost 30 years for the 1979 murder of a father and his daughter, which has become etched onto the Israeli public consciousness.

Israeli Coffins Return in Swap Deal - Martin Chulov, The Australian

Coffins carrying two Israeli soldiers killed at the outbreak of the war with Hezbollah were returned to Israel last night, ending two years of speculation about their fate and capping a painful era for the Jewish state's military. The families of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser shrieked in horror as live images from the Lebanese border showed Hezbollah officials unloading two black coffins from a truck and transferring them to the International Committee for the Red Cross. After the bodies were formally identified at a northern Israeli army base, the next phase of the prisoner swap was allowed to take place, with up to 199 coffins heading for Lebanon in a 50-truck convoy. Bodies handed over included Palestinian terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, who was slain as she took part in a shooting attack on a bus in 1978. Convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar and four Hezbollah guerillas crossed over the border into Lebanon early today. Kuntar was released after 29 years in an Israeli prison in the key plank of the deal to return Goldwasser and Regev. The four guerillas were captured during the second Lebanon war in 2006.

Uneasy Over Prisoner Release - Prusher and Mitnick, Christian Science Monitor

Israel received two black coffins on Wednesday containing the remains of the soldiers abducted in a Hezbollah raid at Israel's northern border two summers ago – a surprise attack whose aftereffects are still reverberating. The long-awaited prisoner exchange, far from closing a chapter that included a 34-day war and raising hopes for peace, instead has Israel grieving over its losses and watching for further military maneuvers by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Moreover, the inherent disparity of the deal has sparked concerns that it will embolden Hezbollah, Hamas, and other foes of Israel to kidnap soldiers and civilians, knowing that they can extract large concessions. Israel agreed to receive the soldiers dead or alive in exchange for the remains of 200 Lebanese as well as the release of five Lebanese prisoners, including Samir Kuntar, who was convicted of murdering an Israeli father and child in Nahariya nearly 30 years ago.

Swap Raises Stakes for Hamas Deal - Joshua Mitnick, Washington Times

Hamas Wednesday congratulated Hezbollah for securing the release of five Lebanese prisoners in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, calling the deal a "victory for the resistance" that will up the ante for the release of Israeli prisoner Cpl. Gilad Shalit. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak (left) looks as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert comforts Karnit Goldwasser. Her husband's remains were returned Wednesday. (Agence France-Presse/Getty Images) Mediated by the Red Cross, the elaborate prisoner exchange lasted most of the day. It started with the transfer at an Israeli-Lebanese coastal border crossing of two black coffins with the remains of Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. After forensic experts confirmed the identities of the bodies, a van transferred the newly freed Lebanese captives over the border. Among them was Samir Kantar, who infiltrated the coastal town of Nahariya by boat in 1979, killing a father and his 4-year-old daughter. "The Lebanese resistance is the model which Hamas looks up to. Hezbollah honored us today and we will continue on this path of honor," said Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political leader in the Gaza Strip. "This is a historic day, and all Palestinians are proud."

Triumph for Hezbollah - Michael Slackman, New York Times

Tens of thousands of people waving flags, lighting fireworks, smiling, laughing, and jostling for a view of Hezbollah’s leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, packed into an open square in this city’s southern suburb on Wednesday night to celebrate the release of five prisoners from Israel. A banner strung over the crowd read: “God’s Achievement Through Our Hands.” It was classic Hezbollah, seeking to rally Lebanon behind its yellow flag, demonstrating again that death on the battlefield or capture by the enemy are never liabilities but only rallying points for the resilient Iranian-backed Shiite group that has run up a string of political victories inside Lebanon and in its battle against Israel.

Hezbollah Emboldened - Nicholas Blanford, Christian Science Monitor

Hundreds of jubilant Lebanese endured hours of blazing heat in the coastal village of Naqoura Wednesday to welcome home five detainees released by Israel in a prisoner exchange that Hezbollah, Lebanon's militant Shiite group, is hailing as a new "victory" over the Jewish state. The five prisoners included Samir Kuntar, a Lebanese Druze who served 30 years in an Israeli prison for his role in a deadly 1978 raid that left a policeman and three Israeli family members dead in northern Israel. The other four prisoners were Hezbollah fighters captured in the month-long war with Israel in 2006.

Terms of Trade - The Times editorial

A melancholy line was drawn under Israel's 2006 war with Lebanon yesterday when two black coffins were unloaded at a United Nations base on the Israeli-Lebanese border and the bodies of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers were returned to their homeland. In exchange for the remains of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, army reservists whose seizure by Hezbollah sparked the 34-day conflict in Lebanon, Israel released a terrorist serving a life sentence for the deaths of four Israelis as well as four other Lebanese prisoners. The exchange has been the subject of tortuous negotiations by a German intermediary for two years. It sparked very different reactions in the two countries. In Lebanon, a brass band, banners, a red carpet and yellow Hezbollah flags greeted the freed prisoners, and in Beirut the Government declared a public holiday as the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of parliament waited at the airport to greet Samir Qantar, imprisoned since 1979. In Israel, by contrast, there were no ceremonies. The families of the dead soldiers wept as they saw the television pictures of the coffins, newspapers questioned the point of the swap and critics of Ehud Olmert, the embattled Prime Minister who ordered Israeli troops into Lebanon, said that the two men died for nothing.

Blair Raises Doubts over Peace Deal - James Hider, The Times

A day after he was prevented from visiting Gaza by an assassination threat, Tony Blair raised doubts for the first time yesterday that a peace deal could be concluded between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of the year. Mr Blair, the international community’s envoy to the Middle East, said that the uncertain political future of Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, was undermining efforts to conclude a deal, which President Bush had said would be signed in 2008. “The political situation in Israel makes it difficult to continue being optimistic about reaching a peace treaty between the Israelis and Palestinians by the end of the year,” the former Prime Minister told the Palestinian newspaper al-Quds. Mr Olmert is not expected to stand for re-election in party primaries in September after becoming engulfed in a corruption inquiry that has severely damaged his already shaky popularity.

Saudis Look Beyond Oil - Faiza Saleh Ambah, Washington Post

Clouds of yellow dust swirled in the air as tractors moved back and forth, leveling a huge, barren piece of land dotted with billboards announcing the city that will rise from the sand here. Over the next few years, Saudi officials say this stretch of desert will be transformed into a buzzing hub of scientific research and development, with cutting-edge universities, hospitals and housing for more than 130,000 people attracted by the idea of living in the city where Islam's prophet Muhammad is buried. The project, called Knowledge Economic City, represents a first serious step by Saudi Arabia toward building a post-petroleum economy.

SOUTH ASIA

Sri Lanka's Forgotten Conflict - Boston Globe editorial

Partisans of human rights have been rightly outraged this year by the behavior of ruthless regimes in Burma, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. But when the government of Sri Lanka was stripped of its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council this spring - a body that includes Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and Russia among its members - hardly anyone noticed, outside of the small community of human-rights organizations. This inattention has a price. It means there is scant outside pressure on President Mahinda Rajapakse to protect civilians caught up in a vicious war between the army and separatist guerrillas known as the Tamil Tigers. Tamil civilians in the northern Jaffna peninsula are exposed to indiscriminate bombing and artillery shelling, and a strict army pass system keeps much of the civilian population from escaping.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

22 July - Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare (Public Event). Washington, DC. The Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) is sponsoring a discussion on counterinsurgency on 22 July 2008, at the National Press Club (the Holeman Lounge), Washington, DC. Dr. John Nagl (Center for a New American Security), Dr. Daniel Marston (Australian National University), and Dr. Carter Malkasian (CNA) recently collaborated on Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare (Osprey, 2008), an edited book that examines 13 of the most important counterinsurgency campaigns of the past 100 years, including the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Dr. David Kilcullen (U.S. State Department), the renowned counterinsurgency expert, will moderate the discussion and provide critical commentary. Lunch will be provided. Books will be available to purchase at a discounted rate. For more information, visit the first link above. RSVP at kattm@cna.org or 703.824.2436.

11-15 August - Counterinsurgency Leaders Workshop (Official Event - Workshop). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency (COIN) Center is hosting a five-day program for prospective counterinsurgency leaders, 11-15 August 2008, at the Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The program is focused on equipping leaders with an understanding of the insurgency and counterinsurgency environments, as well as close consideration of the kinds of persons and organizations that usually emerge from insurgencies in contrast to those of conventional conflicts. This event will be held at the Battle Command Training Center (BCTC) Training Facility on Fort Leavenworth. Seating is limited. However, registration is open to any person who serves in any official capacity with regard to dealing with insurgencies, with priority is given to those applying from invited organizations. Other applicants will be reviewed for eligibility on a space-available, case-by-case basis. The duty is uniform/business casual. Application must completed on-line at the link above. The deadline for application is 1 August 2008. For more information, contact the COIN Center at 913-684-5196.

11-12 September - DNI Open Source Conferece 2008 (Public Event - Conference). Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The Office of the DNI is pleased to announce the "DNI Open Source Conference 2008" to be held on Thursday, 11 September and Friday, 12 September, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC. The conference is free; however, all who wish to attend must register online in advance (deadline 31 July). The two-day conference will explore a wide range of open source issues and open source best practices for the Intelligence Community and its partners. We invite participants from the broader open source community of interest including academia, think tanks, private industry, federal, state, local and tribal entities, international partners, and the media to attend. The conference will include speakers from across the broader open source community participating in panel discussions and focus group sessions. Information about the agenda and break-out sessions is now available. The DNI Open Source Conference 2007 was held 16-17 July 2007 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More than 900 registered participants and speakers attended. Presentations made at the conference break-out sessions are available on the DNI Open Source Conference 2007 website.

16-18 September 2008 - The U.S. Army and the Interagency Process: A Historical Perspective (Public Event - Conference / Call for Papers). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute. The symposium will include a variety of guest speakers, panel sessions, and general discussions. This symposium will explore the partnership between the U.S. Army and government agencies in attaining national goals and objectives in peace and war within a historical context. Separate international topics may be presented. The symposium will also examine current issues, dilemmas, problems, trends, and practices associated with U.S. Army operations requiring close interagency cooperation.